Stonewall man convicted of raping, impregnating girl, 12

James L. Horton, 33, pled guilty on Wednesday in DeSoto Parish District Court to one count of aggravated rape. Horton's victim was his stepdaughter, who was 12 years old at the time of the attack.

The crime came to the attention of police in January 2012, when the girl reported the rape to her grandmother. The victim also disclosed that she was pregnant. The grandmother notified police, who conducted an investigation and arrested Horton. Shortly after his arrest, the DeSoto Parish District Attorney's Office ordered the collection of Horton's DNA and matched it to the victim's baby, once she gave birth.

Horton's aggravated rape conviction carries a mandatory life sentence, with no possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of that sentence. Horton will be formally sentenced once the court receives a pre-sentencing investigation.

Bossier Parish authorities had previously convicted Horton of Indecent Behavior with a Juvenile. That conviction came in 2001.

DeSoto Parish District Attorney Richard Z. Johnson, Jr. says that this was "one of the most heart breaking cases of child abuse to ever come through our office."

"Not only did James Horton traumatize this child sexually, he also put her through the ordeal of bearing his child," Johnson says.